Spent Gaza Rocket. Illustrative. By Joshua Spurlock
The on again, off again conflict between Gaza and Israel has resumed. This time a pair of rockets were intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system after they were fired from Gaza at “densely populated areas” in Israel, according to the IDF Twitter feed.
In response to the random act of violence, Israel bombed multiple terror sites in Gaza, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) website. Weapons storage facilities and a rocket-launching site in Gaza were all successfully hit.
Often Gaza rockets land in deserted areas in Israel—but the involvement of the Iron Dome means these rockets were a serious threat and would have potentially caused casualties in Israel. That represents something of an escalation by Gaza.
Conflict in the Middle East is a concern for the West, as it can cause anxiety for oil markets and lead to higher gas prices—not to mention concerns about Israel, America’s most important ally in the region, coming under attack from terrorists.
Since last November’s war between Israel and Gaza, the region has been comparably quiet. A few flare-ups in recent months raised questions regarding whether the ceasefire between the two sides might be breaking down, and this week’s fighting reinforces those doubts.
Gaza, led by the terror group Hamas, has long been a mortal enemy of Israel and has fired thousands of rockets at Israel—repeatedly targeting civilian areas.
The Ma’an News Agency implied that the latest rocket attack on Israel may have been connected to conflict between Hamas and another Gaza terror group, Islamic Jihad. The two factions have had serious friction recently over the shooting death of an Islamic Jihad member.
Israel holds Hamas responsible for all terror coming from Gaza and expects Hamas to therefore keep its terrorist friends under control. It’s possible Islamic Jihad may have been trying to flex their muscles as an independent terror group or get back at Hamas by launching an unauthorized attack on Israel.
It’s sounds like something from a terrorist soap opera and only further demonstrates the dangerous instability and unpredictability of the Gaza terrorists.
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastudpate.com, June 24, 2013)